Colorado
Oregon
Tennis Rally Falls Short to Ducks, 4-3
February 18, 2011 | Tennis
BOULDER - The University of Colorado women's tennis team's comeback fell one set short as the Buffaloes were defeated by future Pac-12 Conference opponent, the University of Oregon Ducks 4-3 on Friday afternoon at The Meadows Club.
UO won the first three points in the match, but CU battled back to tie the game at three with one match left to play. The overall match came down to No. 6 singles where CU freshman Carla Manzi Tenorio and UO's Lana Buttner played a three-set thriller. Buttner took the early lead in the match, winning 6-3 in the first set, but Tenorio rebounded in the second, taking the 6-1 victory. Buttner took the lead in the third after breaking Tenorio midway through the set and eventually won the match 6-2.
"We had two freshmen for both teams to decide it for that final match so it was a great experience for them," said Colorado head coach Nicole Kenneally. "Obviously it's a bummer that we didn't win, but at the same time it can be a valuable learning experience for Carla so that over the course of time she can remember what it is like in that situation."
The victory ends a two game slide for Oregon, improving their record to 5-2 while Colorado falls to 2-3 in the spring. CU leads the overall series 9-5, dating back to 2004, but UO has won five of the last six matches against the Buffs. These two teams faced each other in Albuquerque, N.M. in 2010 with Colorado winning 7-0.
Oregon won the doubles point after taking two of the three points at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions for the early 1-0 lead. Trudie du Toit/Julia Metzger gave the Ducks the early advantage with an 8-6 defeat over CU's Ania Anuszkiewicz/Kristina Schleich in No. 2 doubles. The Buffs battled back to tie it at one with an 8-4 victory by Winde Janssens/Tenorio over UO's Neubert/Rabea Stuckemann in No. 2 doubles. The doubles point came down to the No. 1 spot in which Colorado's Michala Hedelund Jensen/Abbie Probert and Oregon's Patricia Skowronski/Pavlina Smatova were tied at eight and went into a tiebreak. The Ducks won the tiebreak 7-3.
The Ducks extended their lead to three after winning both the No. 1 and No. 2 singles matches. Smatova defeated Probert 6-2, 6-2 in No. 1 singles while Skowronski denied Jensen her 40th career singles victory in a 6-1, 6-4 match in No. 2 singles.
Down 3-0, Colorado began their comeback winning the next three matches in No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 singles. Schleich began the run for the Buffaloes by defeating Metzger 6-1, 7-6 (10-8) in the No. 3 match. In No. 4 singles, CU's Anuszkiewicz outlasted Stuckemann 6-4, 6-3, and Janssens evened the overall match at three for Colorado with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Pascale Neubert in No. 5 singles.
Tenorio's loss in No. 6 singles came in her first three set match of the spring.
The Buffs next match will be Sunday at 10 a.m. against the New Mexico Lobos at The Meadows Club in Boulder. The Ducks will stay in Boulder one more day as they'll play the Lobos on Saturday at 11 a.m. at The Meadows Club.
Oregon 4, Colorado 3
UO (5-2), CU (2-3)
Feb. 18, The Meadows Club, Boulder, Colo.
1d) Skowronski/Smatova (UO) def. Hedelund Jensen/Probert 9-8 (7-3)
2d) du Toit /Metzger (UO) def. Anuszkiewicz/Schleich 8-6
3d) Janssens/Manzi Tenorio (CU) def. Neubert/Stuckemann 8-4
Order of Finish: 2, 3, *1
1s) Pavlina Smatova (UO) def. Abbie Probert 6-2, 6-2
2s) Patricia Skowronski (UO) def. Michala Hedelund Jensen 6-1, 6-4
3s) Kristina Schleich (CU) def. Julia Metzger 6-1, 7-6 (10-8)
4s) Ania Anuszkiewicz (CU) def. Rabea Stuckemann 6-4, 6-3
5s) Winde Janssens (CU) def. Pascale Neubert 6-2, 6-2
6s) Lana Buttner (UO) def. Carla Manzi Tenorio 6-3, 1-6, 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, *6
Players Mentioned
